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Stuart Kettlewell gives his thoughts on the 2-1 defeat to Rangers at Hampden.

Summer signing Liam Gordon says he has settled in very quickly after his switch from St Johnstone and is looking forward to the season ahead. 

With so many injuries amongst the squad, Gordon explains why it’s important he does everything to avoid injury and also reminisces about his previous ventures to the national stadium.

They say that patience can be a virtue but for goalkeeper Aston Oxborough, it’s more than that. It’s been a part of his daily professional footballing life. He arrived in North Lanarkshire with very few minutes to his name.

Despite being on the books of Norwich for 14 years, he never actually featured for the first-team.

Training and applying himself every day in a professional manner, the opportunity to showcase his talents never appeared and so, the time came for Oxborough to try something new.

That was in August 2022, when he arrived at Motherwell on the eve of Steven Hammell’s first match in charge as the permanent manager of the club.

“A lot has happened since I arrived,” Oxborough reflected.

“My loan at Barnet from Norwich was the last string of games I got. It was frustrating, it’s a hard club to breakthrough at. I was kept back on training and didn’t get out on loan until I was 21, which is quite late.

“That was frustrating but looking back, I wouldn’t change it as that’s how I’ve shaped myself. Norwich always rated me highly and I was in youth England squads. I was always used in first-team training so when I went on loan to Wealdstone, I was playing catch up a bit in terms of actual games.

“There was so many long balls and direct play with decisions to make. It was great for me. Everyone’s journey is different.

“Nick Pope didn’t play much when he was young but he went right down the leagues and started to play more. Look at him now.”

That lack of minutes became an issue for Oxborough and so he sought a move away from a club he had spent 14 years of his life with. A new environment, league and team was the perfect solution. But as he arrived at Motherwell, there was another keeper standing in his way.

“I wasn’t aware of the keeper situation here until I did some research before I joined,” he explained.

“Liam Kelly had won player of the year awards and had an excellent track record. I knew there might be an opportunity to prove myself further down the line so that’s what I aimed for.

“The first year was harder because when I signed, the manager [Graham Alexander] was gone straight away. So, I had to show what I could do with a new manager and then soon after, he was gone too.

“It’s tough not being able to show what you can do and I knew there would be questions about what I was doing here and what I actually brought to the table.”

What he did bring to the table however was a professional attitude.

As a second choice keeper with limited minutes, the only way you can showcase yourself is on the training pitch, and that’s what he continued to do.

“I had a chat with the manager at the end of that first season,” Oxborough said.

“I said I understood the situation but I needed an opportunity to show what I could do. So, we agreed that I would play two of the cup games.

“It was nice to get back out on the pitch after not playing. You don’t overthink things but you think about how you’ve been waiting for this chance for so long. It puts added pressure on you.”

Those two appearances in July 2023 seen Oxborough save a pivotal penalty against Queen of the South that earned his team a bonus point and also registered a clean sheet in his second outing. But that was all the minutes he seen for the remainder of the season.

However, he remains at the club for his third season as he battles out for that number one jersey with West Ham loanee Krisztián Hegyi.

“The message to me was we think you’re good enough,” the 26-year-old said.

“There was a good understanding of the situation. I’ve been patient for two years and want to give it my all for another year.

At the end of the day, I came up here for a reason. To test myself in the SPFL.”

It’s a similar start to the season for Oxborough as he has featured in two matches during the group stage of the Premier Sports Cup, which has seen him save three penalties in shootouts.

“You don’t practice saving penalties to be honest. I think the frame helps,” he laughed.

“It’s about going the right way using the analysis. Neil Alexander is good with knowing where the player is going to go.

“On the bottle from the match against Thistle, I had a name and where they’re going to go. We have a booklet where it has their last five penalties but the bottle is more precise. I was told to be discreet about it and then I seen there was a photo of me reading it!

“I read the information and that’s where I’ll go unless I see a trigger or his body language tells me something. All the penalties against Thistle said to go right so as the shootout went on, in my mind I was thinking the takers will think he’s gone right so he’ll eventually go the other way, I got two and nearly the third.

“I’ve done better than the games last year and I’ve had a different mindset going into these games. I think last year I put too much pressure on myself, this year I’ve tried to enjoy it.”

Stuart Kettlewell is quizzed about the eight injured players amongst his squad, as the Motherwell boss outlines timescales on recovery. 

He also discusses that despite competitive games against the old firm since he arrived means very little when it comes to Saturday’s challenge at Hampden. Kettlewell says he will need to get creative with the players he has available.

Stuart Kettlewell has provided a detailed update on the fitness level of some of our playing squad. 

Ross Callachan will now be out for a period of time, having picked up an injury in training.

“Ross has a bad one,” manager Stuart Kettlewell said.

“In a light training session on Monday, in the last 20 seconds he pulled up with a hamstring injury. It looks bad enough that it will keep him out for a period of time.

“Lennon Miller was carrying a knock at the weekend but he still thrust himself forward to play. He shrugged it off but he took another whack during the game on Saturday, hence why he came off. He’s not trained this week so he’s a doubt for this weekend.

“Shane Blaney has an impact injury from Saturday. He’s got a tear in his medial ligament which will keep him out for four to six weeks.

“Shane’s one of the robust guys, as soon as I seen him put his hand up I knew there would be something significant there.”

Paul McGinn is entering his third season at Motherwell and in those first two years, he has adopted the nickname of the ‘7/10’ from supporters for his consistency in all matches. 

Whilst that two years has been successful for McGinn, this is the first time in his career that he has taken the armband, having been named vice-captain on more than once occasion.

Taking some advice from former captains that he has played under, McGinn wants to remain the way he is and become a bridge for all players in the first-team dressing room and Under 18s.

Keeping the dressing room clean and healthy is on the top of his to do list, and with the help of a ‘power group’ within the squad, that task looks achievable as the squad begin to settle down for the long season that is ahead of them.

Our William Hill Premiership game against Hearts has been moved to the following day.

Originally scheduled for Saturday 24 August, the match will now take place on Sunday 25 August due to the Edinburgh side playing a Europa League play-off on the Thursday.

Kick-off at Fir Park will be 3pm.

Motherwell make the short trip to the national stadium on Saturday 10 August to take on Rangers. 

Kick off is 3pm.

How to follow the game

Only season ticket holders will only be able to purchase tickets online.

If you are coming to the ticket office to buy, you must have a continuous purchase history.

Please note, due to the limited amount of time between tickets going on sale and the match, it will be collection only. No postage is available.

We have been advised there is no scope to purchase tickets at Hampden for the away section.

The ticket office will be open on Saturday morning from 10am until 12pm for anyone who wishes to collect or purchase on the day of the game.

Adult – over 18 years of age to 65 years of age, Concession – 16 & 17 years of age and over 65 years of age. Juniors are under 16 years of age.

Ambulant disabled supporters pay the age-appropriate price. If a companion is required, the companion ticket is free of charge. We accept DLA or PIP as qualifying benefits and are happy to accept your verification on any of these sales.

If you are outside the UK, you can watch the game via Motherwell TV.

Should you be in the UK, it will be live commentary only.

Kit Watch

We will be wearing our home kit for this match.

Injury Update

Callum Slattery, Harry Paton, Sam Nicholson, Filip Stuparevic and Johnny Koutroumbis remain out for this game.

Ross Callachan will be missing after picking up an injury this week. Shane Blaney came off against Ross County last Saturday and won’t be fit.

Lennon Miller is a doubt for the game.

Motherwell’s Fortunes

It was a point to start the new campaign last Saturday for the Steelmen. It was a 0-0 draw with County came last time out but a clean sheet was most welcomed.

New signing Apostolos Stamatelopoulos got his first minutes after joining the club, with Aston Oxborough making his first league appearance after two seasons in North Lanarkshire.

It was a memorable afternoon against Rangers last time out for Motherwell, as goals from Theo Bair and Dan Casey secured a historic first win at Ibrox since 1997.

Opposition Report

Rangers also drew their first league match of the season, with the Gers coming away with a 0-0 draw from Tynecastle.

They are in European action on Tuesday night, taking on Dynamo Kyiv in Poland in the Champions League third round qualifying.

Rangers have been busy in the transfer market this summer, with manager Philip Clement also signing a new deal. Former ‘Well captain Liam Kelly is amongst the ranks, with Connor Barron another player who has made the move to Ibrox from a Scottish Premiership side.

Tom Lawrence was the biggest goal threat during the pre-season schedule for Rangers, scoring three goals across the games.

Improvement was what Stuart Kettlewell wanted after the Motherwell performance six days prior, and in the league curtain raiser against Ross County, there were elements that were much improved. 

With the better of the chances and a solid defensive showing, the Steelmen just couldn’t find the back of the net to make it a three point start to the new campaign.

With a trip to Rangers looming, taking the shackles off and becoming that bit more creative is the next task on the horizon.

We can now confirm ticket details for our match against Rangers on Saturday 10 August at Hampden. 

Only season ticket holders will only be able to purchase tickets online.

If you are coming to the ticket office to buy, you must have a continuous purchase history.

Please note, due to the limited amount of time between tickets going on sale and the match, it will be collection only. No postage is available.

We have been advised there is no scope to purchase tickets at Hampden for the away section.

Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday 6 August at 9am. The ticket office will be open on Saturday morning from 10am until 12pm for anyone who wishes to collect or purchase on the day of the game.

Adult – over 18 years of age to 65 years of age, Concession – 16 & 17 years of age and over 65 years of age. Juniors are under 16 years of age.

Ambulant disabled supporters pay the age-appropriate price. If a companion is required, the companion ticket is free of charge. We accept DLA or PIP as qualifying benefits and are happy to accept your verification on any of these sales.

We can only apologise for any inconvenience this delay has caused, however it was a situation that was outside of our control. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Saturday.